Harvey
by Devon Shea
Summary: Merlin encounters and unlikely childhood friend of Uther's.


At first it was just a nuisance: a missing sock here, or a bucket moved out of reach when a servant turned to clean something. Eventually people started to suspect something was going on, something magical. Of course, most people would just shrug that off and just keep going, maybe throw a sign to ward off evil. But this was Camelot, and the idea that something magical may be afoot was met with suspicion and fear, especially when the harmless pranks were finally played on the king himself.

"Maybe it's another goblin?" Merlin was cleaning the leech tank as he talked to Gaius, who was preparing headache ointments with the peppermint he bought from the apothecary. The scent permeated the rooms and was the only soothing thing now that Merlin had his head stuck in the disgusting tank.

Gaius shook his head as he chuckled at the sight of his apprentice hard at work at the one task he despised above all else. "I haven't heard of anyone demanding additional money for anything lately. Besides, I checked the room in the library and the goblin you released is still in there."

Merlin's chuckle drifted out from the tank. "Shook the box pretty hard, didn't you?"

Gaius didn't even respond to that, nodding as if Merlin could actually see him.

"What else could it be if not the goblin?"

Gaius snorted, "Don't you read the books I give you?" He shook his head as he gently bruised the mint leaves before he added them to the oil he had ready. The mortar and pestle would smell like mint for quite a while. "There are any number of creatures that enjoy causing mischief among humans. Most of them are harmless. This one seems to just be playing minor pranks, nothing dangerous."

Gaius turned to his side to get the lavender he'd set aside earlier to add to the other vial of oil he'd prepared and stood there for a moment when he realized it was gone. "Merlin, where did you move the lavender?"

"What?"

"I asked where you moved the lavender."

Merlin crawled out of the massive tank, a leech he must have missed when he emptied it nestled in his hair. "What lavender?"

Gaius snorted, "The lavender I had you gather yesterday so I could make the headache balm. I had it set right here."

Merlin shook his head, dislodging the leech, making him shudder as it oozed down his cheek before he plucked it off. "I've been right here for the last half hour, Gaius."

"You must have-" Gaius cut off what he was saying and sighed.

"It got us, didn't it?" Merlin slumped, "You didn't even see anything move?"

"I was busy talking with you. I must have turned around at some point and it moved the lavender then." Gaius looked around. "I need that lavender. Let's just look for it and then we can try to figure out what the damned thing is after we finish what we're doing now."

Later that day Merlin and Gaius had narrowed the possibilities down to four or five. It would require a spell to figure it out completely, but Gaius was sure he'd seen one in the archives that would work and had gone down to find it while Merlin went about his chores for Arthur.

As he was walking down the hall with Arthur's clean bedclothes he heard a small sniffle. Thinking it was one of the castle's children, he quietly put down the basket of linens and walked over to the alcove he heard the sound coming from.

Pushing aside the curtain he gasped at the sight before him. The creature sitting with its knees tucked into its chest could only be described as a rabbit.

Sort of.

It looked like a man had dressed as a rabbit, with rabbit ears and face, but the general body shape of a fur-covered man's form. On second look, it wasn't a man, more a young boy.

Merlin knelt down slowly and the rabbit-boy sniffed as it wiped its twitching nose. "He doesn't remember me. We used to have so much fun. I've tried everything."

Merlin put his arm around the creature's shoulder and let it lean into him. He had no clue what he was dealing with, but if this creature was harmful right now, he'd eat his neckerchief.

They sat like that for a few minutes before Merlin turned to the shorter boy next to him. "We have to get you somewhere safe. If the guards, or even worse, Uther, catches you, I don't know what they'll do to you."

The creature's shoulders slumped even more than they had been. "I would have said that Uther would never hurt me, but he's not the same as he used to be."

"Uther? Uther is the one that doesn't remember you?" Merlin struggled to keep his voice down as he envisioned Uther speaking to a rabbit-boy, who just nodded miserably in answer to his query. "Huh. Well, that's… You know what, I don't even know what to say to that. Let's just get you somewhere you'll be safe."

Merlin got up and pulled the rabbit-boy onto his feet. "I'm Merlin, by the way."

The rabbit-boy nodded, "I know. You take care of Uther's son. And you have magic that only a few people know about." He ignored Merlin's start of surprise. "I can be invisible if I want to be. I'll follow you."

Merlin took a deep breath and nodded back. He was and wasn't surprised by the entirety of the rabbit-boy's last couple of sentences. Invisibility? A few people knew about Merlin's magic? This was obviously the creature that had been wreaking havoc around the castle the past few weeks. He must have been invisible to do so. But who were the people that knew about Merlin's magic other than Gaius? Lancelot had been gone for a few months, certainly before this rabbit-boy had arrived.

Merlin shook off the questions burning in his mind so he could concentrate on getting the poor thing safe. "Follow me, just be as quiet as you can."

Once Merlin made it to Arthur's chambers, he smiled at the guards posted there before he entered, trying to leave enough of a gap in the door to make sure the rabbit-boy got inside with him before he closed it. He put the linens on the bed and huffed out a breath. Arthur was going to be closeted with his father and the Council for the rest of the afternoon as they finished going over the trade terms they were negotiating with King Rodor. It should be safe enough for the boy to make himself visible and this would give Merlin a chance to figure out what to do with him in the long run.

"I think you'll be safe in here while I'm here. You can make yourself visible. We just can't speak too loudly."

The servant started making Arthur's bed while he watched the boy investigate the rooms. "So, how did you know Uther? Not to be rude, but what are you? And what can I call you, anyway?"

"I'm a pwca. Uther called me Harvey when he was a boy. You can use that name." The boy smiled a bit.

"The guards won't hear me if I don't want to be heard."

"I heard you sniffling. Did you mean for me to?"

The boy shook his head, a blush actually darkening his light brown cheeks. "No. I think it doesn't work as well on you because of your magic. I have to concentrate harder around you."

Merlin picked up the shirt he must have missed on his earlier pass through Arthur's rooms. He chucked it into the basket to do tomorrow if he remembered. It wasn't one of Arthur's favorites so he could probably even get away with tucking it back into the wardrobe and letting the prince wear it a second time before he had to wash it. "So, where have you been? I mean, I think I would have seen you from the time I got here if you'd been here."

Harvey hopped up on the freshly made bed, putting a crease in the cover that Merlin would have to smooth out later. He shrugged, the motion making his ears bounce up and down. "Uther discovered girls. He wasn't fun after that." The pwca laid back on the bed. "I went around. Found another friend, then another. It's no fun when they grow up."

He sat up and jumped off the bed, walking over to where Merlin was tidying up Arthur's desk. He poked the candlestick and looked up at Merlin. "I ended up near here and I just wanted to check on Uther. He was always so fun as a boy. I was warned not to come here. Some of the others told me that he'd changed so much that I wouldn't recognize him. But they're wrong. I still see my friend. He's just so angry and scared that he can't see me now."

Merlin reached over and patted Harvey on the shoulder, not sure what to say.

The boy looked up at him. "You probably think I'm being silly."

"No. No, I don't. Growing up for humans can be rough. It can indeed change a person. Uther may have been carefree and fun as a child, but he became a king, and that was before he started having problems with magic."

"I know. Pwcas live a long time, but I'm still young. Uther was my first human friend. I miss him." The pwca's ears were droopy as he stroked the candlestick.

"I'm sorry, Harvey. I really am. I wish I could make you feel better, but I really don't know how." Merlin finished tidying up the desk and came around to the side the pwca was standing. "The only thing I can say is that Uther's life was probably a lot more fun when you were in it than it is now and he was lucky to have you as a friend." He smiled gently. "Before you leave, you'll have to tell me, and maybe Gaius, some of the pranks the two of you pulled. I think Gaius could use the laugh."

"I could stay." The pwca looked up at Merlin hopefully.

"No, Harvey. Whoever told you not to come here was right. It's not safe for magical creatures in Camelot. Maybe when Arthur is king, but right now Uther can't let go of his fear."

Harvey sighed. "You're right. Can I stay just a bit longer?"

"Just a bit. As long as you're careful. Would you like to have dinner with Gaius and me tonight so you can tell us what Uther was like as a child?"

Harvey grinned. "I'd like that, Merlin."

"Good. Now I have to finish my chores. Why don't you go find Gaius and introduce yourself? Just make sure he doesn't have anything breakable in his hand when you show yourself to him, alright?"

The next day, after one of the most surprising dinners he'd ever had in Camelot, Merlin was standing in the hall behind Arthur, ready to be dispatched as a runner in case Uther or Arthur needed to get more information for a petition they were hearing, when he felt a tug on his jacket. He looked down and saw the dim outline of Harvey. He knew the pwca was being invisible, but now that it had the feel of him, his magic allowed him to see just enough of the boy. He smiled down at him briefly before putting his best stone-face back on. Harvey settled against Merlin's legs, leaning a bit into his warmth.

The petitions today were mostly boring, almost an hour passing by with disputes over the ownership of a piece of land, or the unintended offspring of two farmers' animals. Merlin hadn't even had to act as runner. He was surprised Harvey had stayed in one place the whole time, just watching the procedures. He thought the boy didn't have that kind of patience and would have tried to play a trick by now, but he hadn't.

There were only two petitioners left. The young woman who stepped up before the king and prince had her eyes cast downward. As she looked up, her eyes took on the unmistakable glow of sorcerer's gold. Merlin couldn't do anything in front of the entire court and Arthur was literally only a foot away from him and would hear any countercurse he muttered. All he could do was reach in and pull Arthur to the side, away from whatever curse the sorceress was casting.

Uther stood in front of his throne, rage suffusing his features. "How dare-"

He was cut off mid-sentence by the sudden appearance of Harvey, who at first showed his guise as the dark-furred, little rabbit-boy that Merlin had come to know. As he stood in front of Uther, he grew taller and darker, his appearance becoming more menacing as he growled at the sorceress. "You will leave now and never return."

The sorceress shrank back in fear. She cast a quick teleportation spell, and was gone in a whirlwind.

Harvey's form shrank rapidly back to the little rabbit-boy and he turned to a silent Uther. "Goodbye, Uther. Don't forget all of the fun."

Uther reached out a trembling hand, "Har-"

Before he could finish the name, Harvey winked and disappeared. Uther gathered himself together as Arthur pushed Merlin aside and stood.

"Father, should I go after it?"

Uther chuckled mirthlessly. "And where would you look, Arthur? He can clearly disappear at will. I imagine he's already far from here." Uther looked at the silent court. "You are all dismissed." He strode from the hall without looking back.

That night Merlin was passing the door of the king's chambers when it opened. Uther stood in the doorway, about to address the guards when his glance landed on Merlin. "Good. Boy, I need you."

Merlin followed the king back into his chambers, unsure of what he'd need. It was never comfortable being alone in a room with Uther. Uther gestured to a pile of ash in the fireplace. "Clean that up."

"Of course, sire."

Merlin went to work cleaning the fireplace that shouldn't even have been used in the middle of summer. He was nearly finished when he saw a tiny piece of parchment that had escaped Uther's attempt at destroying whatever it was he wrote by flying up the chimney a bit to settle on a bit of brick that jutted out. Merlin whispered an incantation that brought the scrap to his hand. He hid it in his sleeve.

"I'm finished, sire. Is there anything else?"

"No, Merlin. That's all." Uther didn't even look up as he dismissed him.

Merlin bowed out of the room, taking the bucket of ashes with him to add to those by the kitchen gardens. He waited until he was safely in his own room for the night before taking the scrap out of his sleeve to look at it in the flickering candlelight. Merlin smiled when he read what was left on the paper, "-ratitude, Harv-"

* * *

**Merlin belongs to Shine and the BBC. Harvey is definitely inspired by the Jimmy Stewart film of the same name. You should watch it one day. It's wonderful.**


End file.
